Truck Camper Saga - Update

[Peanut]

Okay, all I've decided today is there's no point looking at the thing until I know whether I can even carry it anywhere.

I did phone the seller and he said the thing weighs 1,630 lbs., when full of water, propane, etc. Add in 200-300 lbs. more or so for clothes, food and general crap, and I'm hovering around 1,900 lbs., not yet counting the tongue weight of my boat trailer. EEEK!

I'm gonna go home and see what my truck (sticker or manual) says it can carry. But, I'm thinking now that my original plan may be asking a bit much of her.

My better bet may be to bite the bullet, buy a cabin trailer for a few extra bucks, and resign myself to the fact that family camping will now entail taking 2 vehicles. I had hoped to avoid this, but it's not worth wrecking a vehicle to save $100 gas or so per trip. Fortunately, I have another decent tow vehicle, so it's not an impossibility.

Thanks for the heads-ups guys. That's why WC is the best.

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[KevinA]

1900 lbs, short bed 1/2 ton...game over. You'll need at least a 3/4 ton truck.

[REW]

Actually, with your rig - a 5th wheel camper is really a pretty good way to go.
You will easily be able to tow your rig with the 6 foot box. The short box,makes a great rig for towing a 5th wheel.

Depending on the state - you will be able to tow your boat behind the 5th wheel.

The only thing that you have to do - is to unhitch your boat, before you do any backing.

You will find that you get a "huge" amount of room in a 5th wheel compared to your pickup camper - and the nice thing about it - at a campground - leave the 5th wheel in place, use your truck for loading launching your boat, as well as any errands, or local touring.

Take care
REW

p.s.

You can pick up a 5 year old 5th wheel in excellent condition for a very reasonable price, in most localities.

[BlackSilver]

There are very few 5th-wheel campers that you can tow comfortably behind a 1/2-ton truck, especially if you add a boat behind that, and short-bed trucks require a special sliding hitch (or you'll clip the cab when you do tight maneuvers).

There is pretty general agreement that it is unwise and possibly
dangerous to EXCEED maximum ratings, but many of us with long
trailering experience have found that tow rating information is
often misleading - or at least not applicable to everyone.
Recognizing that safety is always relative and not absolute,
I offer the following reasons for urging very conservative towing
weights:

1. The tow rating is ALWAYS a maximum figure, and is as large as the
manufacturer dares make it. They hope you will buy their stuff for
towing. Their rating may or may not be right for you. Every maker
has his own methods of setting tow ratings. Some are conservative
and some are ludicrously over-stated (many Jeep Cherokees are rated
at 5,000 lbs, and are hopelessly overloaded at that figure).

2. MOST tow ratings (nothing personal or specific vs your brand)
do not allow for long steep grades - up or (especially) down.

3. Most tow ratings make no allowance for bad road conditions.

4. Most tow ratings are accompanied by asterisks that call attention
to special equipment "required". Your rig may not have those features.

5. Most tow ratings make no allowance whatever for emergency
maneuvers. I assure you your vehicle WILL NOT turn or stop as
fast or as safely with the maximum load as it will with a lot less.
The difference can be dramatic. Don't believe me? Try a few tactics
in a large parking lot.

6. Vehicle tow ratings make no allowance for the DRIVER'S "tow
rating". No insult intended, but if you have to ask how much your
rig will tow, you have neither the experience or the knowledge to
handle the maximum load safely. IMO.

7. One of the most-overlooked factors in safe towing is a COMBINED
maximum (GCWR = Gross Combined Weight Rating, often only found in
a towing guide) that dictates a much lighter-than-maximum TOWED load.
Most of the weight of cargo & passengers in the tow vehicle must be
deducted from the permissible towed load to find the true rating.
Some towing guides appear to gloss over this issue because the
marketing types want to put the best possible face on their product.

8. What is reasonably safe and comfortable at 45 mph may well be a
lethal weapon at 75. Tow ratings, IMO, do NOT reflect any respect for
this hazard.

9. One party wrote to say "I live at 6200 feet above sea level and
since an internal combustion engine loses about 2 1/2 to 3% efficiency
per thousand feet I'm losing 15-18 % of my performance unless I have
a turbocharger or supercharger. I would not dream of loading past
75% of capacity regardless of what the engineer says."

10. Regardless of weight ratings, SUV's and "1/2'-ton" pickups are
mostly useless for serious towing. They will handle pop-ups and even
some of the short "lite" trailers - and will haul yer big one out to
the lake if you are careful. But competent handling of a large TT
requires a long wheelbase & short overhang.

Someone once wrote: "You can tow anything with anything - the question
is how far, how safely?"

BOTTOM LINE: IF you trust the experienced trailerists who have been
there and done that and don't want to go back, you will not exceed
about 75% of the rated maximum. The number is of course not writ by
the finger of God on a stone tablet - it is merely an indication that
you should stay well below the manufacturer's maximum allowance if you
want a safe, comfortable trip. Some say the figure ought to be as low
as 50 or 60%. But except for a few macho braggarts, most experienced
folks agree in principle if not detail with these concerns.

:) ----------the end. Class dismissed. ------------ :)


SET the hook!!!

Hans/MN

[Peanut]

Thanks for the thoughts and advice. Don't worry, I don't take any of your concerns as insults - I'm not an experienced guy when it comes to towing under load - that's why I asked.

I was able to speak with a Ford mechanic I trust this morning, who basically confirmed your advice - there is really no safe way (for me or the truck) to carry a truck camper and boat in combination.

So, as I'm not in a position to upgrade my truck, I'm looking at taking two vehicles - each pulling something.

I'm sure glad I asked you guys...

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[DaveIN]

Hans
I thought your response was outstanding.
Having used a slide in truck camper for about 15 years, I totally agree with all of your comments and concerns. Heavy Duty F-250 to do the hauling.
DaveIN